Gov't increases aid for emergency property repairs

(Hina) Financial aid to citizens for emergency repairs on their earthquake-damaged apartment buildings or houses will be increased from HRK 12,000 to 16,000 per housing unit in an apartment building and from HRK 12,000 to 25,000 for a family house, the government decided on Thursday.

The decision refers to people whose properties were damaged in last year's earthquakes in the City of Zagreb and in the counties of Krapina-Zagorje, Zagreb, Sisak-Moslavina and Karlovac.

Construction Minister Darko Horvat said the grants would help everyone who had applied or would apply for property reconstruction and were entitled to a certain amount of reconstruction subsidies.

Since so far out of 2,680 requests for financial assistance in the area of Zagreb and Zagreb and Krapina-Zagorje counties 1,700 have been processed and assistance in the amount of HRK 49.6 million has been paid, the decision will be applied retroactively so residents of those areas who have already received assistance will also get the difference between the previous and new amounts of the government aid.

The government entrusted the HRT public broadcaster to write off claims for the licence fee for property owners whose properties were damaged in the earthquakes. It also extended the toll-free regime on the highway A11 Zagreb-Sisak until July 1 as well as free railway transport for residents of the earthquake-hit Sisak-Moslavina County.

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